Minimum watts for new power supply, suggestions?

Ok, going to take the plunge and upgrade my wifes desktop in desperate need of a new power supply.

Here are my questions for you guys.

1) What is, in your opinions the minimum to shoot for when it comes to wattage? What would be a good value that will last a while. 500w supplies are pretty cheap but most new video cards require 500w. I want a wattage amount that will be good for maybe 2 more generations of video cards but can't break the bank.

2) Ease of install. What is a good brand that someone like me who has never installed a new power supply can purchance and have a easy enough time to put it in. I have been reading up on the subject online and it does not look impossible but is there any brand that takes no technical knowledge out of the box?

Thanks guys, I come to you all all the time with questions and all the time you guys know your stuff better than most.

1) Honestly, go for either 600 or 700. It's really dependant on when and if you plan on upgrading other parts of computer than just video card. I have a 600W one that lasted me for a few generations of computers, but with next upgrade I plan on swapping it to 750. Silver Power, Thermaltake, OCZ, Corsair - all good makes. Some are cheaper some are more expensive. PSU is something you should NOT squeeze a penny on - you want a reliable one. It's what your system depends on. A crappy one might be cheap but also blow your motherboard when voltage hiccups a little.

2) None of them require more or less technical expertise. Some are more modular and you can remove cords you don't need. Only thing that comes down to is your motherboard manual telling you where to put which connector. Rest is really straightforward.

Depends on what components that you are going to use/are using. This test is roughly 6 months old but its accurate. The graph is in swedish but you should be able to understand it. Red is max load and yellow is idle.

Seasonic is currently the standard for quality and performance when it comes to power supplies. Most of the popular units that people rave about are usually just rebranded Seasonic platforms. That being said, there are plenty of solid rebranded units from other manufacturers as well, such as Super Flower, CWT, Delta, FSP, HEC, Sirtec, Sirfa, and the list goes on. You really just have to research the unit your considering purchasing. Just remember that quality always trumps quantity, that is, a quality 450w unit is going to be a much better choice than some mediocre unit with a 650w label.

Ease of install is really going to come down to whether you choose a unit with modular, semi-modular, or fixed cables, as already mentioned. Rail count can also be an issue, and I would recommend choosing a single rail unit. Of course, you also need to make sure that the one you've selected has the appropriate connectors and cable length for your system, but most current ATX power supplies are fairly standard when it comes to mounting it in your system. Some of the more extreme wattage units require a lot more space, but that's not really relevant here.

If you give us a list your wife's system specs post upgrade, as well as your budget for the new PSU, I'm sure we can recommend a solid purchase for you.

Seasonic is currently the standard for quality and performance when it comes to power supplies. Most of the popular units that people rave about are usually just rebranded Seasonic platforms. That being said, there are plenty of solid rebranded units from other manufacturers as well, such as Super Flower, CWT, Delta, FSP, HEC, Sirtec, Sirfa, and the list goes on. You really just have to research the unit your considering purchasing. Just remember that quality always trumps quantity, that is, a quality 450w unit is going to be a much better choice than some mediocre unit with a 650w label.

Ease of install is really going to come down to whether you choose a unit with modular, semi-modular, or fixed cables, as already mentioned. Rail count can also be an issue, and I would recommend choosing a single rail unit. Of course, you also need to make sure that the one you've selected has the appropriate connectors and cable length for your system, but most current ATX power supplies are fairly standard when it comes to mounting it in your system. Some of the more extreme wattage units require a lot more space, but that's not really relevant here.

If you give us a list your wife's system specs post upgrade, as well as your budget for the new PSU, I'm sure we can recommend a solid purchase for you.

Ok, wife has a Asus CM1740.

It has a AMD A8-3800 APU with onboard Radeon graphics 2.40 GHz.

I believe the Radeon was in the 6000 range but the system properties does not say which chipset the graphics were. I do know the graphics were fantastic until the onboard took a crap. I replaced it with a Nvidia GT 520 which is good, but not great.

The stock power supply is a 350w. Honestly, I think it was not enough for the onboard because I always had flicker issues and black outs onscreen. I went to a lesser card and have not had any issues since.

Ultimately, I would like to get a nice PSU bump strictly for gaming, meaning upgrading video cards. All the other components in the desk top are rock solid, the video is the weakest link.

Price wise, I'm willing to go 150 for power and 200 for video and thats it for a couple years in a perfect world, if possible.

I believe the Radeon was in the 6000 range but the system properties does not say which chipset the graphics were. I do know the graphics were fantastic until the onboard took a crap. I replaced it with a Nvidia GT 520 which is good, but not great.

The stock power supply is a 350w. Honestly, I think it was not enough for the onboard because I always had flicker issues and black outs onscreen. I went to a lesser card and have not had any issues since.

Ultimately, I would like to get a nice PSU bump strictly for gaming, meaning upgrading video cards. All the other components in the desk top are rock solid, the video is the weakest link.

Price wise, I'm willing to go 150 for power and 200 for video and thats it for a couple years in a perfect world, if possible.

I think those issues was from bad video drivers. 350W should be able to handle onboard graphic. Looking at the computerbuild of the month on the frontpage you can see a AMD 7850 for $205 and a XFX powersuply for $66. That should be good and last a few years unless your want max settings.
Links: GPUPSU

I think those issues was from bad video drivers. 350W should be able to handle onboard graphic. Looking at the computerbuild of the month on the frontpage you can see a AMD 7850 for $205 and a XFX powersuply for $66. That should be good and last a few years unless your want max settings.
Links: GPUPSU

Bad video drivers?

So if I take out the 520 and update the onboard, there is a chance everything could work the way it used to?

Also, looking at the video card this person recommended, it would be perfect.

Now instead of the PSU, what about this PSU instead matched with the same video card:

I'd go with Corsair 650w, which I believe is also one of the rebrands of SeaSonic. This will save you a fair bit of money. You can go with 750w if you want, but I believe that'd be overkill for what the current generation of video cards are demanding. As far as a GPU goes, go with a 7870, or you could pick up a used 570 if you want for around $200 and still have some change left over.

I'd go with Corsair 650w, which I believe is also one of the rebrands of SeaSonic. This will save you a fair bit of money. You can go with 750w if you want, but I believe that'd be overkill for what the current generation of video cards are demanding. As far as a GPU goes, go with a 7870, or you could pick up a used 570 if you want for around $200 and still have some change left over.

A 7870 draw 288W including cpu, motherboard etc. You don't really need more than 500W unless you want to get another card later. That doesnt mean he should use his old 350W psu. You want some margin and it could be a low quality one. The 650W you linked is not bad but he could save $20 and not notice any difference.

I wouldn't recommend a 570 because its overpriced. a 7870 is faster and doesn't require as much power as a 570

A 7870 draw 288W including cpu, motherboard etc. You don't really need more than 500W unless you want to get another card later. That doesnt mean he should use his old 350W psu. You want some margin and it could be a low quality one. The 650W you linked is not bad but he could save $20 and not notice any difference.

I wouldn't recommend a 570 because its overpriced. a 7870 is faster and doesn't require as much power as a 570

Just for clarity, the A8-3800 Llano APU actually has the HD 6550D GPU integrated into the CPU chip. There is no GPU on the motherboard per say. The flickering and black screen issues were symptoms of earlier drivers and I believe were fixed somewhere around version 11.6b. I suspect that was your problem to begin with. I would uninstall the nvidia drivers, pull the GT 520, and update to the lasted 12.10 catalyst drivers. The 6550D on your APU is much better than a GT 520.

If that works out for you, but your still set on upgrading the PSU and GPU, try these:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151096
^ its overkill on the wattage, and you could go with the 520w version, but because this one has free shipping, it's about the same price , making it the better choice IMO. It has 2 rails, and I know I recommended getting a single rail unit, but I don't foresee that being an issue for you.

I wouldn't recommend buying any of the 'mainstream' to 'high-end' (600W or more) PSUs listed in this thread. They're pretty expensive ($70+) and are over what you need, especially since it seems like you're on a budget.

I wouldn't recommend buying any of the 'mainstream' to 'high-end' (600W or more) PSUs listed in this thread. They're pretty expensive ($70+) and are over what you need, especially since it seems like you're on a budget.

For the 7850, I'd shoot for the 2GB version if its at least $30 cheaper than 7870 (equivalently ranked manufacturers).

You may want to re look at your performance hierarchy...rofl. Please explain how the 7970 tops the 680 as the worlds fastest GPU, yet the 7950 which is legit a 7970 underclocked and some shaders locked is = to a 660 Ti. 7950 is just a bit behind a 670, not being humped by a 660 Ti.

An i5 3570K + GTX 660 build will run easily on a 300W PSU, if you can find a decent 300W PSU (you won't).

The "recommendation" for power supply wattage take into account that many people go and buy the cheapest power supply with the highest wattage rating, believing that more power = better. One of those cheap 25 dollar 600W power supplies will deliver max 220W on the 12V rail, the other 380W coming on the 3.3V and 5V rails (where is it completely wasted, unless you are running 50 HDDs).

Something like a Seasonic M12II 520 (or its OEM derivatives) will run any single-card configuration other than a dual-GPU (in which case why the fuck are you getting a 60 dollar PSU for a 1000 dollar graphics card?)

New parts have one thing in common: They use less and less power. 6 years ago, a top system with 2 video cards and a top line CPU would need 700W. Today, that is not the case and In 3 years it will be even less the case. I don't think a 350W is enough though, I think you should always have something to go on. Everything from 500-650 should cover most systems.

The most important thing is to buy a quality PSU. Good quality PSU's are the likes of Seasonics, Corsair HX/TX/AX. If you are interested in good cable management get them as modular as possible. I use an AX1200 from corsair and it is 100% modular and the cable managemet is superb and the black cables really go well with the Maximus motherboards.

You may want to re look at your performance hierarchy...rofl. Please explain how the 7970 tops the 680 as the worlds fastest GPU, yet the 7950 which is legit a 7970 underclocked and some shaders locked is = to a 660 Ti. 7950 is just a bit behind a 670, not being humped by a 660 Ti.

You might want to rethink your AMD bias. Rofl. Nvidia cards got a boost with 310.70 which isn't recorded in the above benchmark. Rofl.

You would be cutting it rather fine. If you get rid of that CPU overclock, possibly. Your CPU wants about 70W under load at stock speeds, add another 40 or 50 for the chipset, USB devices, fans and storage drives.